Trip to Taiwan–26 October

I worked all morning at the Maryknoll house in Taipei and then after lunch took a taxi to the home of Judy and Henry Wong, my friends from Hong Kong.  Their son Dominique–whom I hadn’t seen since he was much younger–met me there and after talking a bit we rented two U Bikes from a nearby rack and started cycling along the riverfront.

After 20 minutes or so, we parked and locked the bikes in a rack by the river and then walked through the Raohe Street Night Market, a popular tourist spot.
It was only about 3:30 PM in the afternoon and the vendors were beginning to set up their stalls and food shops in their assigned places.
A beautiful Chinese temple was located in the intersection by the night market. It was truly a sight to see with all its intricate designs and carvings.
Across the street from the temple a mobile puppet theater had been set up and kids going home from school stopped to watch the dramas.
We then went into the temple to look around. It is an active temple and there were many people praying and making offerings.
Then we walked across a pedestrian bridge that spans the river and gives access to the temple to a neighborhood on the other side of the water.
As we walked back to where we parked the bicycles, there was a large and colorful parrot cavorting on a cable. It must have been someone’s pet. He didn’t try to fly away but would sit for a while and then hang by one or two claws and then by his beak and just generally put on a performance.
Dominique (R) and I biked over to the train station where we returned the bicycles to a company rack there, and then we went inside to meet Henry and have dinner together. After that we walked back to their home where I was to spend the night.